Paint remover of the heater type



July 27, 1954 H. E. SMITH PAINT REMovER 0F THE HEATER TYPE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 25, 1951 u mwa E,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

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Howard E'. 5ml/h July 27, 1954 H. E. SMITH PAINT REMovER 0E THE HEATER TYPE Filed June 25, 1951 Patented July 27, 1954 UNITED STATES TENT FFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to improved paint removers.

An object of this invention is to provide a mechanically simple paint remover which includes a handle connected to a head, the head accommodating a heating unit of the gaseous fuel burning type or the electrically operative type, said head having a scraper blade which projects below the bottom surface of the heater plate or the head and which is readily removable for repair and/ or replacement with blade or blades to t the different types or. inouldings,

Another object of this invention is to provide, a heater type paint remover having a handle for passage of an electrical conductor to conduct current for energizing the electric heater of the head or which alternatively considered constitutes a gas chamber to supply a heating unit oi the gaseous fuel burning type with fuel.

Ancillary objects and features of importance will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated forms of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view oi the device shown in Figure l, parts shown in elevation and taken on the line 2&2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective View of a second fernn of the invention;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, portions being shown in elevation, taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

In the accompanying drawings, attention is rst invited to Figures 1 3, wherein there is disclosed a handle Eil provided with a gaseous fuel chamber l2 and which includes a neck portion i4, the neck portion having a passage it therein which communicates with the chamber l2. There is a seal i3 located in the passage l5, the seal being adapted to be pierced the knife 2t when the conduit or tube 2i has its inner end threaded in the inasmuch the knife 26 is fastened to the tube and projects outwardly from the inner end thereof to the required ei:N tent.

A yoke 2t is provided with legs 25 and 253 which are fastened at their outer ends to one end ot a head 30, This head is made oi' three plates, 32, 34 and 36 which are disposed on top of each other, the plate 3d being in the forni ol" a frame thereby providing a heating unit chamber d Cil the outer ends of the scraper within the head. Standard means, as the screws di), are used to hold the plates assembled. The tube 22 is made of a rst pipe length 42 adapted tc be threadedly received in the passage lli, whereby the handle l@ may be removed and replaced with another one when the fuel in the chamber l2 has become exhausted, and a second pipe length #it connected to the first pipe length by means of a valve body td. The outer end of the pipe length t3 has a heating unit in the form of a gas nozzle or burner it connected therewith, this heating unit being located in the chamber 3S inasmuch as a portion of the pipe length d3 is passed through a suitable opening in the upper plate 32 of the head 30.

The Valve body 1M has a valve chamber within which the needle valve 48 operates in order to control the rate of ilow of fuel from the chamber Ei? to the nozzle 46,

A. lateral opening 50 is provided in the pipo length d3 and there is a sleeve 52 slidable thereover, this sleeve being supplied with a set screw 5t adapted to contact the outer surface of the pipe length 43 in. order to hold the sleeve 52 in a proper adjusted position. An air inlet port 53 is provided in the sleeve 52 and is adapted to align with the lateral opening 50 whereby upon movement or the sleeve 52 the openings 58 and 5G may be regulated with respect to each other to allow the necessary quantity of air to be introduced in the conduit for supporting combustion within the head Bil.

The upper plate 32 of the head 30 has a number of apertures t@ therein which may be used for igniting the fuel of the heating unit d6 and which are used to provide air to support combua tion and/ or exhaust.

The lower plate 3S serves as a heater plate. Disposed below the lower surface of the heater plate ES is a scraper ed which includes either a ilat blade or a formed moulding blade S6 having a cutting edge S6 located adjacent to the burner plate 36. Means releasably connecting the scraper blade 56 to the head are attached at blade SS and comprise brackets 'le and l2 so shaped as to hold the blade Se at an. angle with respect to the bottom surface of the burner plate 36. The brackets "it and l2 have slots 'l5 and 'it therein, each slot opening laterally of its respective bracket, so that the brackets 'it and l2 may be slipped under the heads of the screws tit and 32 and then the screws tightened thereby releasably holding the scraper @d in place on the head. The screws B and S2 are located in the head adjacent to the 3 end thereof opposite from the end to which the yoke 24 is attached.

Attention is now invited to Figures 4-6. There is a handle 90 provided with a passage 92 which extends axially through it in order to accommodate the electrical conductor 94. A yoke 9S identical to the yoke 24, has its legs connected to the upper plate 98 of the head lull. Since the yoke is connected intermediate its ends to the tube |62 and the tube, being located in the passage 92, is connected to the handle 90, the yoke 96 holds the handle 90 fastened to the head wir. The head |06 includes the upper plate St, a lower burner plate Illd and two intermediate heat and electric resistant plates 08 and 03, the plate l @5 constituting a part of a heating unit ll, which in this instance includes a filament of the electrically operative type, this filament being connected to the conductor 96 which is adapted to be energized from suitable source of current, The plate |08 is of heat insulating material and is disposed above the filament lill so that tho burner plate IM will derive most of the heat of the filament.

As in the first described embodiment, screws H2 identical in function and structure to the screws 40, are used. There is a scraper H8 located at the front end of the head H3G, the scraper H3 being identical in function and construction to the scraper Btl and held fastened to the head 50i) by a means identical to the means used in this connection in the embodiment of Figure l.. In regard to the scraper blades E and 20 of the Scrapers 64 and I I8 respectively, it will be noted that they are located below the lower surface of the lowest plate of the heads, slightly in front of them and at an angle of inclination with respect to the substantially planar lower surface of the lower burner plates.

In operation, the handle is grasped in the hand and the scraper disposed on the surface to be cleaned. By locating the device in this manner, the heat radiates from the burner plate of either embodiment and loosens the paint or other type of surface material to be removed and the device is then manually pulled so that the cutting edge of the scraper blade skims beneath the soft paint, and being at an angle raises the paint continuously from the surface, and in one movement.

fn the embodiment of Figure 4, the electrical conductor 94 may be provided with a switch or thermostat for control purposes and has a plug to t in a standard outlet. In the embodiment of Figure l, the handle I is removable, whereby when the fuel from the chamber l2 is exhausted, it may be recharged when practical, or another handle may be substituted, this new handle having a full charge of gaseous fuel as would be the case of the recharged original handle.

Emphasis is to be attached to the self-cleaning blades and has to do with a construction which permits the removal of paint, putty and varnish in one continuous movement. The paint remover prepares and/or softens the paint before the self-cleaning blade is drown forcibly into it. The construction is such that it permits replacement of component parts and allowance is made for detachable self-cleaning blades.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A self-contained paint remover comprising a thermal head embodying an imperforate heat radiating plate adapted to be held in closed spaced proximity to thepainted surface which is to be heated and then scraped, a yoke situated at the leading end of said head and having arms rigidly joined with said head and its bight portion spaced away from said leading end, said yoke being offset and essentially in a plane above the plane of said head, handle means abutting the bight portion of said yoke, a tube paralleling and coplanar with said arms and operatively connected at one end with said head, the opposite end of said tube abutting said bight portion, and a scraper unit at the trailing end of said head and having a blade portion with a scraping edge located in a plane spaced below said plate, said blade being at an oblique angle to the plane of said plate and having lateral end brackets detachably mounted on the trailing end portion of said head.

2. For use in heating a given painted surface to soften up the paint and ready it for removal and thereafter scraping of the thus loosened paint, a self-contained instrumentality for both heating and scraping the paint comprising a hollow head having heating means therein and embodying a fiat bottom plate which is adapted to be held over the surface to be heated in close proximity to the surface, said head being generally rectangular in form and having leading and trailing ends, an oblique-angled scraper blade spaced from and paralleling the trailing end and having end brackets separably mounted on said trailing end, said blade having a scraping edge occupying a plane below the plane of said plate, a substantially U-shaped yoke disposed at the leading end and having horizontal arms parallel to said head, said arms being essentially in a plane above the plane of the head and rigidly joined at corresponding ends with the head, said yoke having a bight portion spaced from said leading end, tube means joined at one end to the leading end portion of said head and having its opposite end connected with said bight portion of the yoke, and a handle connected with said tube means and having one end portion abutting said bight portion of said yoke, said tube means being essentially coplanar with said arms and located in a position centrally between said arms.

3. For use in heating a given painted surface to soften up the paint and to thus ready it for removal and subsequent scraping, a portable self-contained device for both heating and scraping the paint comprising a hollow head having heating means therein and embodying a flat bottom plate which is adapted to be held over the surface to be heated in close proximity to said surface, said head being generally rectangular in form and having leading and trailing ends, an oblique-angled scraper blade spaced from and paralleling the trailing end and having end brackets separably mounted on said head, said blade having a scraping edge occupying a plane below the plane of said plate, a U-shaped yoke embodying arms with laterally bent ends secured to said head at the leading end of the head, the major portions of said arms projecting beyond said leading end in a plane above the plane of said head, said arms being joined at their opposite ends by a centrally apertured bight portion situated remotely from said head, conduit means located centrally between said arms in a plane with said arms and having one end laterally directed and joined to said head, the other end of said conduit means passing through and beyond the aperture in said bight portion, and a handle joined with said last named end and having one ond directly abutting said bight portion.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 wherein said heating means is in the form of an electrical heating element, said conduit 'being a tube passing through a bore provided therefor in said handle, and an electrical conductor passing through said conduit and having one end electrically connected with said electric heating element.

5. The structure defined in claim 2 wherein the operatively joined one end of said tube is laterally bent toward said head and is extended through an opening provided therefor in the top of the head, and a gas-burner-nozzle carried by said extended end and conned for operation in said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Storm May 12, 1908 Sayres Dec. 17, 1912 Spira Oct. 7, 1913 Manley Mar. 7, 1922 Coffelt Mar. 10, 1936 Peterson Dec. 1, 1936 Frederick et al Jan. 2, 1951 White Oct. 23, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Oct. 16, 1933 

